EU Tells Companies to Stop Stalking Their Employees' Facebooks

"Companies shouldn't be allowed to inspect the Facebook and Twitter accounts of prospective job candidates, unless there is an appropriate "legal ground" for doing so," a European group dedicated to data protection has ruled reports Engadget (July 13, Summers). In a guidance "opinion" document, the Article 29 Working Party stated that employers should consider whether the candidate's account is meant for personal or business purposes. Additionally, they should only reviews posts that are relevant to the performance of the position being applied for. Under no condition should companies force a potential employee to "friend: the recruiter or make their profile public, the working party argues, and companies should not force employees to provide access to their social media posts. Finally, the group contends says employees should not be required to use a social media account created by their employer. "And this should [all] be specified in the terms and conditions of the employment contract," the guidance reads.